Switch for street-railroads



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H. W. LIBBEY.

SWITCH FOR STREET RAILROADS. No. 413,145. Patented Oct. 15, 1889.

N. PETERS. Fhow-Limo n hu. washlq ton, D. C.

UNITED STATES PATENT OFFICE.

I-IOSEA WV. LIBBEY, OF BOSTON, MASSACHUSETTS.

SWITCH FOR STREET-RAILROADS.

SPECIFICATION forming part of Letters Patent No. 413,145, dated October 15, 1889.

Application filed December 24, 1888. Serial No. 294,511. (No model.)

To all whom it may concern.-

Be it known that I, HOSEA WV. LIBBEY, a citizen of the United States, residing at Boston, in the county of Suffolk and State of Massachusetts, have invented certain new and useful Improvements in Switches for Street- Railroads, of which the following, takenin connection with the accompanying drawings, is a specification.

The object of my invention is to produce an automatic switch which will be operated by the car-wheels so as to open it to the main line and be under the control of the driver for the branch line, or vice Versa; and the invention consists in certain details of construction, as hereinafter fully described, and

pointed out in the claims.

same. Fig. 7 shows a modification for operatin g the switch-tongue.

A A represent the rails of the main-line track, B B the rails of the branch line, and O the switch tongue, all of which may be of the ordinary construction. To the under side of the rail A, in front of the switch, I secure at suitable intervals bracketsD E. The bracket D is provided with a stud or short shaft F, upon which is mounted a disk G, to which is secured a presser-bar II, that extends up through the tread of the rail A, and the bracket E is provided with a stud or short shaft I, upon which is mounted a ratchetwheel J, that stands just outside the rail A, with its upper edge on or about a level with the tread of the rail. To the under side of the tongue 0 is secured a bar K, (see Fig. 4,) which extends downward through a slot 0 (see Fig. 3) in the switch-plate, the lower end of the bar K being connected to a lever L, fulcrunied at or about its center vM. to a bracket N, secured to the under side of the switchplate, and to the outer arm of this lever L is secured a rod or bar P, which is also connected to the ratchet-wheel J by a bar or rod Q, and to the disk G by a bar or rod B. Each end of the lever L is provided with a slot, in which works the bar K and the bolt connecting the rod P to said lever.

Y is a box or case of wood or metal, in which all the operating parts are inclosed, and this boX or case is connected to the drain by a pipe 2, so as to carry off any water that may accumulate therein.

To the underside of the car Z, I secure two brackets S T. To the bracket S is pivoted a bent lever U, the depending arm of which is at its end provided with a hook it and a roller a Its other end is connected to a lever V, fulerumed to the bracket T, and to the outer end of the lever V is secured a treadle-rod WV. A spring X, arranged between the bottom of the car and top of the lever U, keeps the latter in its normal position. The lever V is provided with a slot where it is connected to the treadle-leverW and the bracket T, to allow for the requisite movement in op erating the same.

The operation is as follows: Supposing the car Z to be a main-line car traveling in the direction of the arrow 1 and the switch to be wrongly set, so that the car would not pass on the main line, but be switched off onto the branch, in which case the presser-bar II would stand above the level of the tread of the rail, the front carvheel in passing over will depress the bar II, which will cause the disk G to be partially rotated and draw the bar P back, and the outer arm of lever L, to which it is connected, will also be drawn back, thereby throwing the switch 0 so as to be open for the car to travel on the main line. If it is desired to have the car run onto the branch line, the car-wheels pass over the presser-bar H, as before described; then the driver places his foot upon the treadle-bar IV, which causes the outer arm of the lever Uto be depressed, and the hook at will then come into contact with the teeth of the ratchet-wheel J, which will cause it to make a part of a revolution in the direction of the arrow 2, and thus push the rod P forward. thereby through lever L,

throwing the switch C open for the branch line. The roller a stands directly over the tread of the rail, so that when the lever U is thrown down by the driver the roller comes into contact with the tread of the rail, thus insuring contact between the lever H and the ratchet-wheel.

It will be seen that by this construction the switch is set for the main line by the action of the wheels of the car and for the branch line by the driver.

In Fig. 7 I have shown a modification in which the presser-bar H is not operated by the wheel of the car, but by a wheel a on the end of a lever U, attached to the car, the presser-bar passing up through a short piece of rail A, secured to the side of the rail, as shown.

WVhat I claim as my invention is 1. The switch-tongue O, lever L, bar P, rod Q, and ratchet-wheel J, in combination with a lever U, secured to a car, substantially as and for the purposes set forth.

2. The combination of the tongue 0, lever L, bar P, disk G, 'presser-bar H, and ratchetwheel J, and their intermediate connections, whereby the tongue will be thrown in one direction bythe depression of the lever H, and in the opposite direction by a partial revolution of the ratchet-wheel J, substantially as shown and described.

3. The treadle-rod W, lever V, bent lever U, and spring X, supported by brackets S T on the under side of a car, in combination with the ratchet-wheel J, bar P, lever L, switch-tongue O, and their intermediate connections, substantially as shown and described.

In testimony whereof I have signed my name to this specification, in the presence of two subscribing witnesses, on this 15th day of December, A. D. 1888.

HOSEA WV. LIBBEY.

WVitnesses:

CHAS. STEERE, EDWIN PLANTA. 

